The present invention relates to load-carrying supports in general, and more particularly to support systems which allow wearers to more adequately carry loads for extended periods.
Soldiers and police officers, when in a position of harm from small arms, rifle fire, or shrapnel, can counter these hazards by wearing protective clothing. Ballistic armor vests and jackets can incorporate so-called “soft armor” for protection against low velocity projectiles such as handgun rounds, fragmentation rounds from a grenade or mortar, and miscellaneous shrapnel. Soft armor is composed of assemblies of ballistic fabric such as those formed from DuPont Kevlar® fibers. The soft armor is often fabricated as flexible panels which are received within pockets or pouches formed in fabric vests or jackets, which may have a shape-supporting molded plastic sheet such as those disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,892,392 to an Integrated Personal Body Armor, the disclosure of which is incorporated by reference herein. In more serious threat situations, where higher velocity rifle rounds must be countered, soft armor has typically been supplemented with hard armor fabricated of rigid plates of ceramic, polymer, or metal.
As the level of protection increases, the armor will typical be heavier. In addition, the armored vest may serve as a carrier for ancillary equipment, adding additional weight. Conventionally, the full weight of the wearer's vest is borne by his shoulders. However, any load applied to the shoulders is ultimately transferred to the spine. Since protective armor vests are worn for long periods of time and during strenuous activity, this pressure on the shoulders and ultimately the spine is undesirable. Morever, the prolonged strain of carrying these loads on the wearer's shoulders can reduce the wearer's effectiveness at whatever job he is performing, with increased metabolic cost, accelerated fatigue, and pain.
On the other hand, permanent connections might transfer loads to the user's waist but which would unduly hamper movement most be avoided in military and police work, where it is necessary to take up an active position on very short notice.
In U.S. Publication No. US-2005-0082330-A1 to a Pack Support with Frictional Load Transfer, a high friction engagement is defined between a backpack and a special belt which transfers loads to the wearer's waist in certain conditions, but allows the connection to be rapidly separated when the wearer takes on an active position.
What is needed is a carrier system which aids a user wearing a heavy garment for extended periods.